Lawmakers last week finally compromised to temporarily reopen the government. After 35 days of gridlock, the longest shutdown in U.S. history came to an end. Yet while the government has temporarily re-opened, the environmental impact of the shutdown may be felt for centuries.
Lacking a feasible number of workers, many national parks were littered with trash and human waste. Environmental sanctuaries were further vandalised by offroad vehicles and hikers that ventured off into normally protected areas. Parks were additionally forced to pay out-of-pocket in order to fund a bare minimum degree of maintenance. Environmental organizations worry that such measures have depleted national parks of essential funds.
Of the 60 protected parks spread across the country, perhaps the most damaged was Joshua Tree National Park. Located in southern California, Joshua Tree is primarily known for its abstract rock formations and jagged joshua trees. But amidst the government shutdown, thousands of trees were destroyed by vandals. Volunteer groups attempted to clean the park of garbage and repair damaged park facilities, but as for the trees, the damage is done. “What’s happened to our park in the last 34 days is irreparable for the next 200 to 300 years,” stated former Joshua Tree Superintendent Curt Sauer. It can take hundreds of years for a joshua tree to fully develop, as the trees typically grow one inch per year.
The shutdown was equally damaging to marine life. Agencies such as the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program were suspended, preventing volunteers and biologists from addressing marine emergencies. In 2012, the program attended to nearly 5,000 cases of marine mammal distress. Similar cases were likely neglected throughout the government shutdown.
Other essential government agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, were inoperable during the shutdown. The EPA speculates that they perform up to 200 inspections per week. However, over the course of the shutdown, these inspections did not occur. As a result, the management of harmful contaminants and toxic pollutants was left unregulated, leading many to believe that the shutdown will exacerbate the effects of climate change. As record-low temperatures sweep the United States, perhaps President Trump’s call for the return of ‘Global Waming’ will be satisfied after all.
Though the shutdown has temporarily ended, lawmakers will need to work effectively to reach a bipartisan agreement for a new federal budget. If a solution is unattained after the three week negotiating period, such environmental agencies and regulations will continue to be neglected.